Alloys of the precious metals and method of increasing hardness of such alloys.



'rnn STATES rAirEiNT orruon.

AUGUSTE J. ROSSI, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, :ASSIGNOR TO THE TITANIUMALLOY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A 'CORIP ORATIO'N OFAND METHOD OF INCREASING HARDNESS OF SUCH MAINE. I

ALLOYS OF THE PRECIOUS METALS 1,022,596, Specification of LettersPatent. No Drawing.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

Application filed May 6, 1910. Serial No. 559,656.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTE J. RossI, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improyements in Alloys ofthe Precious-Metals and Methods of Increasing Hardness of Such Alloys,of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to the hard-. ening of such alloysincluding particularly such as used in coinage, jewelry. and thelike,'and has for its object the imparting to such alloys so employedand containing present conventional proportions of copper, such novelincreased hardness as will enable them to better resist frictional wearto which they may be subjected.

As well understood, the precious metals, 2'. 6. gold and silver, areinherently so soft as to lose important proportions of their weight bythe wear to which subjected when employed in coins, jewelry, or thelike.

' It'has therefore from time immemorial been thereto.

the practice to alloy for such uses one of the said precious metals withvarious proportions of a harder metal, as copper, the gold and silvercoinage of most countries being correspondingly debased by intentionaladditions of copper varying from 9 to 10% or thereabouts, and the saidalloys intended for commercial uses and commonly known as sterling goldor sterling silver containing as high as 25% of copper.

Notwithstanding these admixtures of the baser metal, the resultingcoinage, money, bars, jewelry, etc., are still nevertheless subject toimportant undesired losses from friction and wear in use, and the objectof my present invention is to provide means for preventing such lossesand the production of articles comparatively not subject Ihavediscovered that if to either of the said f precious metals, whilemolten, there be added the present usual conventional proportions of acopper previously purified by, or alloyed with, titanium as respectivelyper Letters Patent ,No. 905,232, granted to me December 1, 1908, andLetters Patent No.'935,863, granted to me October 5, 1909, or there beadded tosuch precious metal, when molten together with the desired percent. of previously unpurified or unalloyed copper, a small amount oftitanium or of my said alloy of copper with titanium, the finalresulting alloy of said precious metal with copper will be so hardenedas to substantially resist, without loss of weight, substantially allwear incident to ordinary usage. 7

My invention may be practiced as follows: The copper intended for use inhardening the precious metal, whether gold or silver, as aforesaid isfirst melted and to the molten bath thereof is added and meltedtherewith some of my alloy or compound of copper and titanium for whichReissued LettersPatent No. 12,764 were on March 17, 1908 granted to me,the amount of said alloy so added being preferably proportioned toinsure in the bath the presence of suflicient metallic titanium tocombine with undersired elements and. compounds present and leave afinal copper product containing substantially no titanium, or, ifdesired, not to exceed 1% of titanium as per my said Letters Patent No.905,232. The resulting purified copper product is then added to a bathof themolten precious metal 71. 6. gold or silver as the case may be andin such proportion as to secure in the final product or alloy thedesired 'proportion of copper. The said resulting final product being ancommercial uses aforesaid, but its resistance to abrasion, will be foundmuch greater than that of a corresponding alloy to which, or itsconstituents, the titanium has not been added. 7 It will be obvious thatsubstantially the same results may be attained by adding to a bath ofeither molten gold, or molten silver, a certain amount of copper notprevlously treated with titanium as aforesaid v and then also addingsufficient of my said alloy of copper and titanium, containing asuflicient percentage of titanium, to impart to the bath as a wholeenough metallic titaniumf to combine with all undesired elements andcompounds present in saidbath and leave in the final productthei'eofjsub Lstantially no titanium;

.j "I am satisfied that notwithstanding usually accepted coinparativepurity of the precious metals gold and silver, these neverthelessdocontain in their usual commercial cond tion as raw materlals more orless ofundesired impurities and compounds, wh ch tend to impart. to themass undesirable sus-.

ceptibility to--= abrasion and wear. fSllCll as herein claimed islimited to methods of treatment of the precious metals in which thetitanium employed is so proportioned as v to leave-in the finalresulting product not to exceed traces of titanium.

WhatI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is thefollowing, .30 I

1. As a neit article a metallic substance composed principally of aprecious metal,.a

I harder metal therewith alloyed and containing also-not to exceedtraces of titanium.

2. As a new article a metallic substance composed -pr1nci ally of gold,a harder metal therewith a loyed andcontaining also not to exceed tracesof titanium.

As a new article a metallic substance composed principally ofgold,copper therewith alloyed and containingalso not to ex- 'ceedtracesv of titanium.

'4. The metallurgical method which com prises bringing together inmolten state a 7' preciousmetal, a'harder metal and titaniumproportioned to combine with undesired elements and compounds and securea final product containing not to exceed traces of titanium.-

v 5. The metallurgical method which comprises bringing together inmolten state gold, a harder metal and titanium proportioned to combinewith undesired elements and compounds and secure a final productcontaining not to exceed traces of titanium. 6. The metallurgical methodwhich comprises bringing together in molten state gold and analloy ofcopper with titanium proportioned to combine with undesired elements andcompounds and secure a final product containing not to exceed traces oftitanium.

' 7. The method of producing an alloy ot a precious metal with a hardermetal which comprises bringing together in molten state said preciousmetal and an alloy of said harder metal with titanium, the said titaniumbeing proportioned to combine with undesired elements and compoundspresent and secure a final product containing not to exceed traces oftitanium.

8. The method of producing an alloy of gold with a harder metal whichcomprises bringing together in molten state said gold and an alloy ofsaid harder metal with (1- tanium, the said titanium'being proportionedto combine with undesired elements and compounds present and secure afinal.

product containing not to exceed traces of titanium. u

9. The method of producing an alloy of gold with copper which comprisesbringin'g together in molten state said gold and an alloy of copper withtitanium, the said titanium being proportioned to combine with undesiredelements and compounds present and secure a final product contain-- ingnot to exceed traces of titanium.

Y AUGUSTE J. ROSSI. Witnesses:

WALTER D. EDMOND,

Pnimr O. PECK.

